[davefred99]

I am sure this has been asked and answered somewhere but after a short search I still cant find the answer .

I upgraded to an HD DVR with HD access in Nov of 2007. I have become somewhat dissatisfied with Direct TV ever since they switched over to the leasing model and eliminated the TIVO DVR.

I now have the option of going with Verizon FIOS and when bundled with there Freedom + internet + TV plan its will save me a bunch of money per month. To the point that it even makes sense to either pay the Early Termination fee or just cut the programing back to the minimum $29.95 requirement. What is not clear is if I must also continue to pay the HD access fee($9.95) and DVR ($5.99)fee for the remainder of my commitment. If I can just cut back to a non DVR (free) reciever and pay the $29.95 mos programming commitment then its one thing but if I must also pay the other fees then its cheaper to just pay the Early termination fees.

Thanks for any help, Dave

 

[boba]

Dave if you return all but 1 basic receiver you can get away with $29.99 plus taxes. You have about 16 months of Early Termination Fees or $320 so that would be cheaper than 16 months of $30 or $480 so why not just terminate and return your leased receivers.

 

[davefred99]

Dave if you return all but 1 basic receiver you can get away with $29.99 plus taxes. You have about 16 months of Early Termination Fees or $320 so that would be cheaper than 16 months of $30 or $480 so why not just terminate and return your leased receivers.

One reason for not totally canceling is that I also have a motor home and If I have to pay $300.00 + to cancel it makes some sense to just keep it and pay the $29.95 a mos until the contract is up and then perhaps just suspend it during the months I do not plan on using it.

One Question about the ETF you say $20 mos but I thought it was $300.00 or $12.59 per month pro rated ?

 

[FlBillsfan]

I am sure this has been asked and answered somewhere but after a short search I still cant find the answer .

I upgraded to an HD DVR with HD access in Nov of 2007. I have become somewhat dissatisfied with Direct TV ever since they switched over to the leasing model and eliminated the TIVO DVR.

I now have the option of going with Verizon FIOS and when bundled with there Freedom + internet + TV plan its will save me a bunch of money per month. To the point that it even makes sense to either pay the Early Termination fee or just cut the programing back to the minimum $29.95 requirement. What is not clear is if I must also continue to pay the HD access fee($9.95) and DVR ($5.99)fee for the remainder of my commitment. If I can just cut back to a non DVR (free) reciever and pay the $29.95 mos programming commitment then its one thing but if I must also pay the other fees then its cheaper to just pay the Early termination fees.

Thanks for any help, Dave

Verizon is about to run fiber optic down my street. I already have them for phone & DSL. Can you tell me what type of deal I should expect to be offered for FIOS?

 

[davefred99]

Verizon is about to run fiber optic down my street. I already have them for phone & DSL. Can you tell me what type of deal I should expect to be offered for FIOS?

The Deal that I was offered was $105 per month for There Freedom unlimited Phone service + Fios 10/3 dsl and there Fios TV package. The TV package includes HD access for all regular cable and channels including locals. You do have to lease/rent the boxes . I am looking at there HD multiroom DVR and 3 regular boxes ($33 mos). You can access all recorded programing from any box but all recoding is done by the Multiroom DVR. All total it would cost me $138 mos for everything. I pay $96 a mos for just DTV npw with one HD dvr and 2 standard ones plus and extra box. I already am on the Freedom + DSL plan and it costs $79 mos. So I would get Fios TV with all the boxes for an additional $59mos vs the $96 mos I am paying for DTV. If my math is correct it adds up to a $37 mos savings so It would pay for itself in less than a year. after paying an early cancellation fee.

I already got a free month TV trial with one receiver when I switched over to fios, so I know what to expect. Nice thing about FIOS is you can add or swap DVRS and receivers anytime. You just need to call them and ask. There is a one year commitment but its not as expensive as DTV if you terminate early. You can also go month to month if you wish but its about $20 more more expensive.

 

[spartanstew]

I was in a similar situation about 1 year ago dave and did a lot of research. There's a couple of other things to keep in mind.

If you miss the Tivo, you're going to hate the FIOS DVR. It's by far the worst DVR in existence (based on numerous threads/posts/reviews I conducted last year). So, that means you'll need to use standalone Tivo's with FIOS to have any level of satisfaction. In my situation, however, any savings I would have gotten through a FIOS triple play would have been eaten up by the TiVo units I would have needed to buy and pay on per month ( I use 3 DVRs). Also remember that most of the time, the deal they offer you is for 1 year and then the costs go up.

When I priced out FIOS with 3 TiVo's over a 3 year period versus D* with 3 DVR's over the same period, D* came out much, much cheaper and had all the additional HD channels coming (which they now have). I've gotten so used to the HR2X's now, that I don't miss my TiVo's at all and am very happy with the decision I made. Of course, every situation is different.

 

[Upstream]

You may also want to check to see if Verizon will pay your ETF if you switch.

 

[JLucPicard]

davefred99,

The per month ETF had been $12.50 per month and had been raised to $20.00 per month. I don't have a good handle on when exactly that change occurred, but I'm thinking it may have been Sept 07 (or maybe March 08)? Someone else will have more definitive information on that. If your current commitment started when the ETF was $12.50 per month, you should only be subject to that. If it started after the price increase, then you would be liable for $20.00 per month.

If you were to now return your HD DVR and other equipment and replace it with just a standard receiver, you would trigger a commitment of 18 months, which according to my math, would extend your current commitment by a couple of months.

 

[davefred99]

davefred99,

The per month ETF had been $12.50 per month and had been raised to $20.00 per month. I don't have a good handle on when exactly that change occurred, but I'm thinking it may have been Sept 07 (or maybe March 08)? Someone else will have more definitive information on that. If your current commitment started when the ETF was $12.50 per month, you should only be subject to that. If it started after the price increase, then you would be liable for $20.00 per month.

If you were to now return your HD DVR and other equipment and replace it with just a standard receiver, you would trigger a commitment of 18 months, which according to my math, would extend your current commitment by a couple of months.

I am only leasing my HR21 HD DVR. I own 1 Tivo, 1 DTV DVR & 2 Sony Sat b3 receivers. I would fight them if they tried to extend my commitment because I canceled the HD service and returned the HR21. I had to fight them when I upgraded to the HR21 to make sure that all my other DVR's and receivers were listed as owned and not leased. So I could sell my old recievers & DVR's to recoup some or all of the ETF.
As to the poor performance reports on the Verizon DVR. It could not possibly be any worse than the HR 21 I have.
I have also considered the TIVO option with Verizon and its not really that much more than renting the verizon HD DVR. TIVO would cost $299.00 upfront and $12.99 mos TIvo fees but there would only be a $2.99 cablecard fee X 2 from verizon. I would not have to pay verizon anything for the HD DVR rental a $16.99 savings. If someone out there has more first hand knowledge an on this please chime in.
My main beef with DTV is there new pricing and lease plans. I have the option with verizon to go with a 2yr commitment too, the prices are the same and the only difference is that there is a larger ETF if you cancel.
At this point I am leaning towards downgrading to the minimum (29.95) program package and just sending back the HR 21. If they give me any crap then they can just cancel my account and I will pay the ETF which I am pretty sure is $12.50 in my case because I seem to remember asking when I added the Hr21 in Nov. 07.

On a side note I also have an HTPC running SageTV and already have Fios running to an HD Homerun for all the locals and would be using 2 of the other recievers from Verizon for recording to SageTv .So there is more to my story than I might have indicated in my previous posts.

 

[EricJRW]

When I looked at AT*T U-Verse (granted a different beast), in order to get the same channels and DSL speeds I currently had, I had to upgrade the package, thus negating any bundled gains... So copper still caries my phone and DSL and satellites still beam most of my programming (I'm also using OTA).

 

[spartanstew]

As to the poor performance reports on the Verizon DVR. It could not possibly be any worse than the HR 21 I have.

You could be surprised. One of my neighbors that I talked to just last week said he has about a 50% success rate on recording shows. I haven't missed a recording since I got my HR2X's (9 months). Now, one example doesn't mean anything, but just be prepared in case.

I have also considered the TIVO option with Verizon and its not really that much more than renting the verizon HD DVR. TIVO would cost $299.00 upfront and $12.99 mos TIvo fees but there would only be a $2.99 cablecard fee X 2 from verizon. I would not have to pay verizon anything for the HD DVR rental a $16.99 savings. If someone out there has more first hand knowledge an on this please chime in.

You're right, that's how it would be for 1 DVR. In my case (and it looks like your case from what you said above), I would be replacing 3 DVR's, so my upfront cost would be $900 and the montly fees for tivo alone would be closer to $40. As I said, each situation is different.

My main beef with DTV is there new pricing and lease plans.

By new pricing you mean the fact that all the packages went up a few dollars this year?

What do you mean by lease plan? It's really not much different than it was before. There used to be a $5 mirroring fee and now there's a $5 lease fee. The only difference is that you have to send the unit back if you cancel. 1.) That's only important if you plan to cancel and 2.) the upfront cost is generally less now than it was during the own period and 3.) a used receiver isn't worth very much.

Switching to FIOS might very well be the best course of action for you. Just don't cut off your nose to spite your face.

 

[celticpride]

Dont forget right now if yo sign up with verizon you also get 10/2 FIOS internet plus 45 premium movie channels of STARZ and SHOWTIME FREE for 3 months! which includes the HD versions at no extra cost! im in the exact same boat as you and am tempted to do exactly what you are thinking of doing.

 

[davefred99]

Dont forget right now if yo sign up with verizon you also get 10/2 FIOS internet plus 45 premium movie channels of STARZ and SHOWTIME FREE for 3 months! which includes the HD versions at no extra cost! im in the exact same boat as you and am tempted to do exactly what you are thinking of doing.

Ya, I saw that too makes it even more tempting.
Also I just checked the TIVO website and you can get a Tivo HD DVR for $179.95 and the Standard DVR for $62.95 refurbished with warranty. So in my case my case I could replace my current DRV's with TIVo for about $308.85 + tax and TIvo to go allows media sharing between boxes tof course you I would also have to pay 12.95 mos for the first and $9.95 mos for each additional Tivo on a monthly plan or $32.95 in Tivo subscriptions. I wuld also have to pay for the Cable cards from verizon @$2.95 ea for 6 it would cost $17.70 total.

I am leaning towards giving the Verizon Multiroom DVR with 3 standard recievers a first go and then if I am unhappy with that I can always swap them for TIVO's later on. That is the great thing about Fios, more options.

 

[heisman]

I have two emails from D* which both state the ETF is $12.50 per month. I would email them as well concerning your ETF, so you have the amount in writing.

 

[MT_Falconer]

Dave,

If you have the HD/DVR receiver, you have to have the extra fees associated with them. If you have a standard receiver, you can send the HD receiver back no charge and just keep the lowest package until the end of your committment.

If you suspend your service, your committment is extended by however long you have the suspend in place.

If you order a standard receiver to replace your HD/DVR, you'll have a renewed committment.

If you started out with a $300 ECF and it's $12.50/month cancelled early, that committment price stands, no change.

Hope it helps

 

[evan_s]

I haven't played with the DVR but my folks had the HD Fios box up until recently and the UI should be the same. It wasn't bad but it was definitely different. It used a Moxi like + configuration where you scrolled left and right through your menu choices and the up/down would change to the options for that menu. It didn't have any sort of CIG feature and only had 1 favorite that I saw and there was no option to go directly to your favorite list.

It used basically the same box as the comcast DVR I had when I was with them and that box was a POS. It frequently stopped responding for a while and would queue up remote commands then try and execute them all at once. The 160gb HD was also a sad excuse for storage for HD. If you are planning on doing the MRV version you are definitely going to want an external hd. Verizon has at least enabled external hds. Comcast didn't seem to have any interest in that.

 

[davefred99]

Dave,

If you have the HD/DVR receiver, you have to have the extra fees associated with them. If you have a standard receiver, you can send the HD receiver back no charge and just keep the lowest package until the end of your committment.

If you suspend your service, your committment is extended by however long you have the suspend in place.

If you order a standard receiver to replace your HD/DVR, you'll have a renewed committment.

If you started out with a $300 ECF and it's $12.50/month cancelled early, that committment price stands, no change.

Hope it helps

I did email DTV and just got a reply back, they did confirm that my EFT would be $300 or $12.50 prorated or I could just return the HR-21 HD DVR and keep just one basic receiver active on the $29.95 plan to fulfill my commitment. So in my case its just a matter of paying $187.50 (15mos ETF) or the $29.95 mos and keeping one receiver active for 15 mos. If I keep it I can use it in my motor home during the months I am camping and suspend it when I don.t need it. I realize suspending it would extend my commitment but It could also make it more palatable since I could pay for it as I needed/use it. I am not sure how many times a year you can suspend your account though.
I would not be purchasing any new standard receivers because I own all but the HR-21. I would instead just keep one of my current ones active.

 

[MT_Falconer]

I realize suspending it would extend my commitment but It could also make it more palatable since I could pay for it as I needed/use it. I am not sure how many times a year you can suspend your account though.

DTV's suspend policy for having one active account is 2x per year from 30 days-6 months at a time. Multiple accounts are extended to 4 suspends per year.

 

[CJTE]

One Question about the ETF you say $20 mos but I thought it was $300.00 or $12.59 per month pro rated ?

That changed a few months back so if you did anything to trigger a new commitment the pricing and prorates have changed for you

 

[FlBillsfan]

The Deal that I was offered was $105 per month for There Freedom unlimited Phone service + Fios 10/3 dsl and there Fios TV package. The TV package includes HD access for all regular cable and channels including locals. You do have to lease/rent the boxes . I am looking at there HD multiroom DVR and 3 regular boxes ($33 mos). You can access all recorded programing from any box but all recoding is done by the Multiroom DVR. All total it would cost me $138 mos for everything. I pay $96 a mos for just DTV npw with one HD dvr and 2 standard ones plus and extra box. I already am on the Freedom + DSL plan and it costs $79 mos. So I would get Fios TV with all the boxes for an additional $59mos vs the $96 mos I am paying for DTV. If my math is correct it adds up to a $37 mos savings so It would pay for itself in less than a year. after paying an early cancellation fee.

I already got a free month TV trial with one receiver when I switched over to fios, so I know what to expect. Nice thing about FIOS is you can add or swap DVRS and receivers anytime. You just need to call them and ask. There is a one year commitment but its not as expensive as DTV if you terminate early. You can also go month to month if you wish but its about $20 more more expensive.

Thanks for the INFO.